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Tools to Keep Everyone in the Loop

Staying connected with students and families is one of the most important—and sometimes most challenging—parts of teaching! Whether you're sharing classroom updates, celebrating student achievements, coordinating events, or simply answering quick questions, having the right communication tools can make all the difference. The good news is that there are numerous user-friendly platforms designed to help educators save time, streamline communication, and foster stronger relationships with both students and parents. This collection brings together some of the best digital tools available to help you connect effectively, whether you prefer videos, websites, podcasts, or traditional methods with a modern twist. Let's explore some fantastic resources that can help you keep everyone informed, engaged, and connected throughout the school year!

Grades K-12

Mootion

Discover Mootion, a tool that can create engaging visual stories and animated videos for classroom updates, lesson recaps, or event announcements. This AI tool transforms text into professional videos with voiceovers and music—no editing skills needed!

Grades K-12

MagicSchool

Teachers can use MagicSchool's AI-powered tools to draft professional emails to parents, translate messages for multilingual families into over 150 languages, and create newsletters, streamlining communication and saving hours a week on family outreach.

Grades K-12

Castbox Creator Studio

Use Castbox's podcasting tools to create audio updates for families. Enhance home-school connections by recording weekly class news, assignment directions, or story time readings that parents and students can access anytime on their devices.

Grades 6-12

Along

Along is an online tool that allows you to use audio, video, or text to conduct digital check-ins and reflection activities. Share a question with some or all students to encourage them to make connections and check in on their wellness.

Grades 5-12

Teachers.io

Use Teachers.io to organize and share classroom information with students and families. Create a class, then post announcements, upload assignments with due dates, share documents, and maintain a teacher profile. The platform includes a blog for updates.

Grades 6-12

Typito

Typito adds captions to classroom videos, making lessons and announcements accessible for all families. The tool auto-generates subtitles using speech-to-text and allows manual captioning, supporting multilingual learners and ensuring clear communication.

Grades K-12

ResponsiveVoice

Teachers can add ResponsiveVoice to websites or blogs to have text read aloud in 51 languages. This text-to-speech tool helps make announcements, newsletters, and assignments accessible for families with different language needs or reading preferences.

Grades K-12

Free Online Screen Recorder

Use this tool to create tutorial videos with audio narration, record lessons with a webcam overlay, demonstrate resources to students, and create instructional videos for families. Export recordings as an MP4 or upload them to Google Drive for sharing.

Grades K-12

Bloomz

Bloomz is your all-in-one platform for friendly, inclusive communication! Teachers can send class updates, secure two-way messages, and newsletters to families. Key features include conference scheduling and automatic translation into 250+ languages.

Grades K-12

Slack

Try out Slack for organized class discussions, quick Q&A, and resource sharing with students. Direct messages allow for private communication with families or individuals. Slack keeps educational updates streamlined and accessible.

This Week at TeachersFirst

Discover a special collection of self-care resources created just for educators! We're also sharing our Infusing Technology Blog and an opportunity to apply to join our team as a part-time consultant. Read the details below.